I called about a volunteer job and they didn't call me back?

Question

Don't you think that this is pretty weird? Wouldn't an organization that wants volunteers be all over themselves to get them? I still want to volunteer there, so should I call back the next day if they don't call me back?

Answer 1

Maybe they are racialist. They probably dont accept your race or religion or ethnic background.

Answer 2

Maybe they are just really, really busy right now. I would wait a few days. They will probably get back to you as soon as they need you.

Answer 3

It depends on the organization. I just worked full-time for a year with a non-profit and we had many, many applicants. We didn't have enough positions in which to put our volunteers. As is, we were also out of the office a lot of the time working in the community, so we weren't the quickest to get back in touch with people. Basically, we instated an Internet-based means of contact with our volunteers and a "we'll email you before we need you and ask you if you're still interested" policy.

Some organizations are really popular (like Habitat for Humanity, etc.), so they have to be choosy about who they bring in to volunteer. A lot of this depends on whether or not you gave them your schedule and how open it was (or what other volunteer experience you have). Volunteer coordinators schedule you like a boss schedules employees, so if you give them only a few hours/days to work with, you might get sent to the bottom of the pile.

Another reason why you might not be getting called back depends on whether you live in a high-traffic volunteer zone (near a college campus, in a city with AmeriCorps volunteers--who often filter out into the community and take over volunteer roles during their off-season hours). I would suggest that you check out Volunteer Match in order to look for other organizations in your area. Who knows: you might find an organization that you like even better.